Goose Creek State Park (12-26-11)

Goose Creek State Park is a small park located along the Pamlico Coast of eastern North Carolina between the historic towns of Washington and Bath. The park is rather well developed as far as North Carolina State Parks go, boasting a visitor center, beach, and campground which are comfortably wrapped in a well designed trail system. I'd recently had relatives move nearby so it made sense to make this a stop during my visit.

The trails in the park encompass a wide variety of habitats, from river shoreline to swampy lowlands to mixed pine and hardwood uplands (though uplands is a relative term in this region). I was hoping to make a sweeping loop through the entire park but found out after arriving that the entire western half of the park was effectively wrecked during Hurricane Irene earlier in the year and was off limits to visitors. This meant I'd be restricted to exploring the 3 miles of trails in the eastern half, but as it turned out this wasn't as bad as it first sounded...

It wasn't long before I passed the junction with the Palmetto Boardwalk Trail which I decided to take a brief detour on...

Palmetto Boardwalk Trail

The Palmetto Boardwalk Trail offered the opportunity to get a closer look at a coastal wetland area...

Palmetto Boardwalk Trail

What I believe is a Loblolly Pine (though my North Carolina tree knowledge is a bit shaky to say the least)...

Palmetto Boardwalk Trail

There's a strange, stark beauty to these marshlands I can't quite explain...

Palmetto Boardwalk Trail

The Palmetto Boardwalk...beautiful...

Palmetto Boardwalk Trail

Tar-Kiln Trail

Back on relative high ground...

Tar-Kiln Trail

For much of its length views from the Tar-Kiln Trail looks a lot like this...

Tar-Kiln Trail

There are three old lime kiln remains along the length of the trail which are all marked...I don't know the exact process (it involves a large pile of charcoal and limestone), but the kiln's were used in producing (you guessed it!) lime...

Tar-Kiln Trail

Continuing along...

Tar-Kiln Trail

There was evidence of low intensity fires all through these pine forests...

Tar-Kiln Trail

A wetter section requires a short boardwalk...

Tar-Kiln Trail

Crossing a small unnamed stream...

Tar-Kiln Trail

The Tar-Kiln Trail is the newest in the park...and the wide, well-worn path testifies it's a popular one...

Tar-Kiln Trail

I read later that this area was extensively logged in the past hundred years or so making me now wonder whether this stately arrangement of trees is natural...

Tar-Kiln Trail

The remains of another lime kiln towards the east end of the trail...

Tar-Kiln Trail

Just before reaching its east end, the Tar-Kiln Trail makes a jog through a rather messy lowland area...

Mallard Creek Trail

Ending the Tar-Kiln Trail...now onto the Mallard Creek Trail...

Mallard Creek Trail

There was quite an abundace of Spanish Moss in the trees as I neared the creek...

Mallard Creek Trail

Arriving at Mallard Creek...

Mallard Creek Trail

Looking upstream at Mallard Creek, though with the lack of relief in this area the creek looks more like a pond...

Mallard Creek Trail

Mallard Creek...

Mallard Creek Trail

Mallard Creek panorama...

Huckleberry Trail

My third trail of the day...the Huckleberry Trail...

Huckleberry Trail

Don't worry, I wasn't thinking of wandering in there...

Huckleberry Trail

All in all, this trail didn't look much different than the last two...

Huckleberry Trail

So where's the huckleberry's?

Live Oak Trail

Now for the Live Oak Trail...

Live Oak Trail

Between the trail junction and the river is this late-19th Century cemetery...according to a nearby sign these simple wooden markers were placed by locals who needed to quickly bury victims of a yellow fever epidemic...

Live Oak Trail

According to Christian tradition of the time persons were buried in an east-facing direction (shown by alignment of lrger headstone and smaller footstone) to be able to first see Jesus Christ upon his return...

Live Oak Trail

Under the oaks...

Live Oak Trail

Getting a face full of sunlight as I near the river...

Live Oak Trail

Arriving at the Pamlico River...

Live Oak Trail

This nice, sandy beach welcomed me to the riverfront...

Live Oak Trail

The wide, lazy Pamlico River...

Live Oak Trail

There was quite a bit of woody debris along the shore...

Live Oak Trail

Looking west (upstream) in the direction of Washington...

Live Oak Trail

Not sure this is the best place a tree could choose to grow...

Live Oak Trail

The Live Oak Trail stays back in the trees but is never far from the shore...